Quick Links

Students & Recent Graduates

CO-OP STUDENTS

The following was written about Annalisa Streicher’s work terms with us in Brock University’s Co-op Accounting 25 years and counting publication (2005): Student combines training with Far North adventure. Traveling by 12-seater planes to visit clients in remote outposts three hours away and speaking with dramatic gestures are just a part of doing business for Annalisa Streicher. The Co-op Accounting student has recently finished her third work term with the firm of MacKay Landau Chartered Accountants in Iqaluit (pop. 6,000), the capital of Nunavut. She is typical of the new breed of accountant who combines a sense of adventure with a desire to hone career skills and who is unafraid to travel long distances to gain experience. Hired by Brock graduate Andrew Plunkett (BBA, ‘93”), Streicher is excited about continuing her work placement in Iqaluit and about building a foundation of knowledge, training and connections that will last a lifetime. Of her Co-op experience, she says: “In addition to being exposed to a myriad of accounting tasks and situations, I am given the opportunity to travel to parts of Canada I never thought I’d visit, interact daily with people of fascinating cultures, and learn first hand what I could never learn from a textbook.” Language, she says, is sometimes an issue, particularly with older clients who often speak only Inuktitut. In smaller communities, younger Inuit might only know enough English to get by. “You end up using a lot of translators and big gestures and hoping the other person understands what you are trying to say.” Streicher’s one-on-one connection to her partners and co-workers has been invaluable, she says, because of the knowledge, expertise and professional accounting skills they have passed on to her. She concludes: “My Co-op experience in the Canadian Far North has fulfilled my need for adventure, helped to answer my questions about my career choices, and taught me more about accounting and myself than I ever thought possible.”

Note: Annalisa received her CA with us in 2010, spent some time with the Government of Nunavut, moved to Australia, and has recently rejoined our team to provide accounting, tax and consulting services.